My Iona

Safety Tips

Moving off-campus adds new safety concerns that on-campus students often do not have to think about. After making sure the dwelling is safe and legal, consider the following safety tips:

For additional questions or concerns, please visit the Office of Campus Safety or contact the New Rochelle Police Department at (914) 654-2300 or 911.

Transportation Safety

  • Always lock your car door, put your windows up, and remove valuables from view.
  • Always approach your car with keys ready. Look inside your car before getting into it. And lock your doors once inside.
  • Do not leave valuables in your car (this includes books and CDs).
  • Remove suction cup holders for radios and navigation systems.
  • Keep bicycles locked with a U-bar at all times, even at home.
  • For additional questions or concerns, please visit the Office of Campus Safety or contact the New Rochelle Police Department at (914) 654-2300 or 911.

Fire Safety

  • Take responsibility for your own fire safety. Inspect your apartment and communicate any fire hazards to your landlord in writing.
  • Most fires occur at night when apartments are most heavily populated.
  • Smoking is the number one cause of fatal apartment fires. People drop cigarettes on furniture or in wastepaper baskets. Do not allow smoking in your apartment. If you do, provide them with large ashtrays and check behind furniture and check cushions before going to bed. Do not smoke in bed. Make sure cigarettes, pipes, etc. are extinguished before emptying ashtrays into the garbage.
  • Do not leave paper or combustibles by heaters or open flames.
  • Do not block exits.
  • Explore your dwelling and identify all of the possible exits.
  • Keep exit and stairway doors closed at all times.
  • Never use an elevator in a fire. Use the stairs.
  • Do not overcrowd your apartment with people or belongings. Your apartment should not exceed legal capacity.
  • Make sure your apartment has safety devices including sprinklers, extinguishers, and smoke detectors.
  • Check for electrical hazards including worn electrical cords, overloaded extension cords and outlets, broken appliances, and exposed wiring or outlets.
  • Do not run cords under carpets, over doors, over nails, or in high traffic areas.
  • Use heavy duty extension cords.
  • Never store flammable liquids in your apartment or car.
  • Make sure your apartment has smoke detectors outside of every bedroom (and inside if you sleep with the door closed). Change batteries twice a year and when they beep or die.
  • Boiler rooms, hallways, each floor, special exits, etc. should be equipped with smoke detectors.
  • Follow the manufacturers testing and cleaning instructions for all smoke detectors. Test them at least once a month.
  • Create an evacuation plan with your roommates. Post it in public places so your guests know it too. Decide upon a meeting place outside.
  • Never re-enter a burning building. Let the fire department know if someone is left inside.
  • Do not burn trash.
  • Do not place space heaters near curtains, furniture, or plastics. They should be at least 3 feet away.
  • Make sure space heaters are turned off and unplugged before leaving the room.
  • There should be two possible exits from every room in your dwelling.
  • If a breaker trips or a fuse blows, find out why before just flipping the breaker or replacing the fuse.
  • If you have a fireplace, make sure it has a screen. Keep rugs, curtains, and fire starters away from the flame.
  • Do not keep papers, boxes, or garbage stored away.
  • Make sure nothing is stored by your heater or furnace.
  • Extinguish candles and incense before you leave the room if you choose to use them.
  • Do not leave the stove unattended.
  • Make sure your fire escape is equipped with a security grating and a lock.